Aimée Joaristi

Aimée Joaristi, born in Havana and raised in Spain, is a multi-disciplinary artist deeply inspired by her Cuban heritage. Influenced by political awareness and personal experiences, she dedicates herself to art and architecture, exploring themes like the unconscious, transgression, Cuban migration, and female empowerment through painting, installation, performance, photography, and video art. Her work is a medium for intuitive self-exploration, blending cultural heritage with personal reflections.

Joaristi draws inspiration not only from Cuban roots and politics but also from the Costa Rican landscape enveloping her studio outside of San José. The changing weather, shifting light, and lush foliage become added components, providing a backdrop to her compositions, and linking her art with her background in interior design.

Her paintings and drawings, characterised by forceful expressionism, offer glimpses into emotional responses to suffering, pain, war, and human relationships. From dark, dramatic contrasts to vibrant, energetic colours, her canvases unfold like visual narratives, revealing faces, figures, and architectural outlines. Embedded within her work are layers of nostalgia and wistful memories, echoing Cuban politics and her formative years in Spain.

In her photography series “August,” Joaristi delicately balances both artificial and natural light, drawing from her memories of childhood and Spanish summers. Playing with contrasts of light and dark, she captures transient, contemplative qualities as her subjects fade into darkness, creating a surreal and mystical ambiance.

Beyond personal experiences, Joaristi’s art references political upheavals and immediate environments. Her work is featured in various international public and private collections and has been exhibited globally, including at the Biennial of Contemporary Art SACO in Chile, the Bienal de La Habana in Cuba, the Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, the Matadero in Madrid, Spain, and the University of Anahuac in Mexico City.

Why We Love This Artist
Aimée is the kind of artist who makes you feel the urgency of her practice the moment you stand in front of her work — her canvases carry genuine emotional weight precisely because she pours her own experiences, memories and politics directly into them. Born in Havana, raised in Spain, and now working outside San José, she brings an unusually rich layering of cultural reference to the Costa Rican scene, with an exhibition record spanning Havana, Riga, Madrid and beyond. A dedicated studio artist who is perpetually working and creating, that restless energy comes through in every piece.